Advantage Europe: MEPs put Donald Trump on back foot

A group of party leaders in the European Parliament has created a playbook that can be copied by anyone hoping to frustrate the ideas of U.S. President Donald Trump. And they might not even realize it.

By telling Ted Malloch, reportedly President Trump’s favorite to be U.S. ambassador to the EU, that he’s not welcome in Brussels, the leaders of three of the biggest political parties in the European Parliament are disrupting Trump’s emerging competitive advantage in global politics.

Trump the aggressive disruptor has more power than Trump the overstretched reactor. In this situation Trump is now the reactor.

Proposed EU ambassadors are the human version of the CETA trade deal: they have to be approved by all 28 EU governments and the European Commission. Any one of them can block a nomination.

Malloch may not be Trump’s intended ambassador. In that case the Trump administration is on notice.

If Malloch is the nominee, the administration must now either use time and energy fighting the battle, and possibly lose, or preemptively cave in and give the EU a more palatable ambassador. Watch this space.

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FierEuropeen

Well done ! Show to this abhorrent piece of sh*t “American” president that he should not try to make a war with the Europeans!

Posted on 2/3/17 | 12:38 PM CET

Maverick

“If Malloch is the nominee, the administration must now either use time and energy fighting the battle, and possibly lose, or preemptively cave in and give the EU a more palatable ambassador”

Or simply don’t appoint one – therefore the EU losing it’s conduit to the US with European leaders having to to deal direct with Trump…..it is exactly I suspect what Trump wants…either accept my ambassador and all that goes with it or have nothing. Your choice. Time will tell.

Posted on 2/3/17 | 12:56 PM CET

rob

Truly pathetic. You get Trump’s choice or no-one and hence you simply get informed via Twitter what you have to do. As Lord Action never said but should have done, “power is marvellous and absolute power is absolutely marvellous.”

Posted on 2/3/17 | 1:31 PM CET

alan

There is of course another option .as Maverick suggests.

Having made clear that his interest is in bilateral arrangements rather than multilaterals Trump may, simply not appoint an ambassador to the EU and switch focus to ambassadors accredited to national capitals instead.

In that case would there still be a need or role for “EU” representation in Washington?
Perhaps the EU might appoint Fier?

Posted on 2/3/17 | 3:15 PM CET

Europeann

Keep Trump and his neo-cons out of Europe. They belong to the feeble-minded Americans who elected him and his acolytes.